Trials set for former GHURA board accused of holding illegal meetings

GHURA director and six former board of directors members pleaded not guilty to charges filed against them in connection with alleged secret meetings that violated a local transparency law.
Jasmine Stole/PDN

In this Aug. 23 file photo, David Sablan, former board chairman of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, looks to the judge during his arraignment hearing at the Superior Court of Guam. Sablan, other former board members and the current executive director of GHURA pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges related to alleged secret meetings.(Photo: PDN file photo)

Former members of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority board of commissioners will stand trial in October. Superior Court of Guam Judge Anita Sukola will preside over the case.

Sukola at a Wednesday court hearing informed the ex-board members and their lawyers that she scheduled jury selection and trial for Oct. 29 for four of six of them.

David Sablan, Rosie Blas, Cecile Suda and Roland Selvidge will be on trial together. John Ilao and Deanne Torre, also former GHURA board members, each have their own trials. Sukola granted Ilao and Torre’s respective motions for a separate trial.

The ex-members of the board were charged in a criminal complaint filed in July last year. They all face misdemeanor charges, with most levied against Sablan, who was chairman at the time of the alleged incidents. The charges of official misconduct, conspiracy and violating the Open Government Law stem from alleged secret meetings the board held, according to the complaint.

During closed meetings, also called working sessions, the board allegedly discussed GHURA business and how they would vote during regular public meetings, according to the complaint.The complaint states the closed-door meetings were blatant violations of the law.

After the trial for Sablan, Suda, Selvidge and Blas, Ilao’s trial will start in November. Torre’s trial will follow with jury selection to start on Nov. 14.

GHURA Executive Director Michael Duenas was previously charged along with the former board, but has since pleaded guilty and must cooperate with the prosecution, which includes testifying in trial.